Roles › Chief Executive Officer › Chief Revenue Officer › Account Executives

Sales & Customer Success

What does a Account Executive do?

Run deals from qualified lead to signed contract.

High demand Team: Account Executives Reports into: Chief Revenue Officer

What they actually do

Discovery calls, demos, proposals, negotiation.
Manage pipeline and forecast their deals.
Work with solutions engineers and legal on complex deals.

Hiring demand

High demand. Large, steady volume of postings across industries. A realistic target for an active job search.

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Who they work with

SDRsSolutions engineeringLegalCustomer success (handoff)

Typical tools

SalesforceCPQ / quoting toolsSlides

Skills to get there

Selling
Relationship building
Discipline

Title ladder

Common titles for this role at each level. Companies vary; see Role titles decoded.

Level	Typical titles
Entry	Junior / Associate Account Executive · Account Executive I
Mid	Account Executive · Account Executive II
Senior	Senior Account Executive · Lead Account Executive
Expert (IC track)	Staff / Principal Account Executive
Management track	Manager, Account Executives → Director of Account Executives → VP

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Searching for: Account Executive · anywhere in the US · change

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How to get here

Salary (US) as of 2026-11

Median$95K

Typical range$65K–$130K

Sources:

Figures are base salary. Tech AE comp is typically a 50/50 split: median base ~$95K maps to ~$180-190K OTE (RepVue AE median OTE $180K; Customer.io posting $190K OTE). Range high is RepVue's Enterprise AE median base ($130K); Enterprise AE median OTE ~$260K (RepVue). Payscale's all-industry AE figure ($70K base) shows non-tech AE roles pay far less.

Experience to get here

Entry level1-2 years (usually promoted from SDR; SMB AE)

Typical title2-5 years (mid-market AE); 5+ for enterprise

Degree rarely stated in SaaS AE postings (Customer.io lists none). Hiring is on a 'proven track record of quota and goal achievement' and a familiar sales methodology (MEDDPICC or similar); certifications are rarely required.

Typical prior roles

Sales Development RepresentativeSMB Account ExecutiveInside Sales RepresentativeSolutions Engineer (less common)Customer Success Manager (less common)

Must have

2+ years closing in B2B SaaS with documented quota attainment
Full-cycle selling: prospecting, discovery, demo, proposal, negotiation, close
A qualification framework (MEDDPICC, MEDDIC, Challenger, Sandler) applied in discovery
Pipeline management and forecasting your own deals in Salesforce/HubSpot
Building your own pipeline via outbound alongside SDR and inbound leads

Milestones people hit first

Hit or beat annual quota (attainment % is the first thing recruiters ask)
Closed a deal you sourced yourself end to end
Moved up-market: SMB to mid-market or mid-market to enterprise deal sizes
Ran a multi-threaded deal with procurement, legal and an SE involved

Certifications

MEDDPICC Masterclass certificationMEDDICC

Preferredin postings: sometimes

Exam fee	not published
Training	$499 for 12 months individual access; $899/yr full membership
Renewal	annual access
Typical total	$499 (membership $899/yr)

Time: 4-6 hours self-paced
Prerequisites: none

AE postings (e.g., Customer.io) ask for MEDDPICC 'or a similar framework'; the cert is proof you speak it, though experience counts more.

Inbound Sales certificationHubSpot Academy

Nice to havein postings: rarely

Exam fee	$0
Training	free, ~3 hours
Renewal	free
Typical total	$0

Time: about 3 hours
Prerequisites: none

Free consultative-selling framework; useful for career changers, invisible to recruiters hiring experienced AEs.

HubSpot Sales Hub Software certificationHubSpot Academy

Nice to havein postings: rarely

Exam fee	$0
Training	free, ~1h45m
Renewal	free
Typical total	$0

Time: under 2 hours
Prerequisites: none

Only relevant for HubSpot-based SMB sales teams; shows pipeline and sequence hygiene.

Training & learning

MEDDICC: The Book plus the free MEDDICC resources MEDDICC · book · book ~$20-30; Masterclass $499 · a weekend for the bookThe qualification language enterprise sales orgs expect in discovery and forecast calls.
Challenger sales methodology (The Challenger Sale book; corporate workshops) Challenger Inc. · course · book ~$20-30; workshops pricing on request · book: a weekend; workshop: 1-2 daysThe other methodology named in AE postings; teach-tailor-take-control framing for complex sales.
Sandler Sales Mastery / Negotiating Mastery Sandler · course · pricing on request · ongoing reinforcement programCommon employer-funded methodology; worth knowing the vocabulary (pain funnel, up-front contract).
HubSpot Academy Inbound Sales + Sales Hub Software FREE HubSpot Academy · learning path · free · ~5 hoursFree fundamentals of discovery, qualification and CRM pipeline management.
Salesforce Trailhead (opportunity management, forecasting) FREE Salesforce · learning path · free · 5-10 hoursAEs are judged on CRM hygiene and forecast accuracy; learn the object model your sales ops team lives in.
RepVue company ratings and comp data FREE RepVue · community · free · ongoingCrowd-sourced quota attainment and OTE by company; the tool AEs use to vet an offer before signing.

Sources & notes

BLS mapping: 41-3091 (no SaaS-specific occupation; BLS median is well below tech AE pay). RepVue AE data is dated Jul 2024 and enterprise AE Feb 2025. The posting cited named a methodology (MEDDPICC) but no certification or degree; quota attainment dominates hiring. Sandler and Challenger publish no individual pricing.

Figures are US, from the sources listed, and change often; verify before deciding.

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